It must be said that, judging by the anecdote of Müller wearing women's clothes to serve the team's psychologist, the German Team's internal atmosphere is excellent.
And the older players are very friendly to Mark, the youngest newcomer on the team.
Since it was the first day of training camp and everyone was tired from traveling, Löw did not choose to intensify the training so quickly.
After lunch, the afternoon was free time.
Müller, Schweinsteiger, Lahm, and other Bayern players prepared to play golf, while Klose chose to return to his room to read a book.
Facing Müller's enthusiastic invitation, Mark said he didn't know how to play, but he could go along to watch.
"If you don't know how to play, we can teach you. Golf is very simple."
"Okay."
So, after returning to his room to change clothes, Mark left with the Bayern players.
There was a golf course next to the training camp, and the group quickly arrived at their destination by golf cart.
Although Müller lost to the team's psychologist, among the players, his golf skills were considered among the best.
And Mark, playing golf for the first time, appeared very clumsy.
Either he hit the ball too hard and sent it flying, or he missed the ball entirely, almost throwing the club away.
It wasn't until Müller taught him hand-in-hand that he slowly grasped the essentials of golf.
During this time, he also chatted a lot with the Bayern players, and their relationship improved significantly.
It's worth mentioning that what they most wanted to know was naturally why Mark was able to unleash that astonishing knuckleball in the final!
And Mark's answer was half-true:
"I often watch Juninho's free-kick videos, and I always practice free kicks after training..."
They played for several hours.
It wasn't until evening that the group reluctantly returned to the restaurant.
After dinner, Mark also returned to his room, planning to call his agent.
"Hey, Mino..."
"The scenery here is amazing. You can bring your family here for a trip if you get a chance..."
After a brief exchange of greetings, Raiola also got straight to the point:
"By the way, Adidas and Nike have sent their second round of offers..."
Hearing this, Mark raised an eyebrow slightly:
"Oh, they finally figured out what price suits my status?"
"Exactly! Who told you to perform so well? Not only were you selected for the World Cup squad, but you also scored a spectacular winning goal in the final!"
After Mark was selected for the preliminary World Cup squad and helped Wolfsburg win its first German Cup title in club history, his personal fame and commercial value soared.
Before being selected, he was just a rising star in the Bundesliga!
After being selected, he became a Bundesliga rising star and a new national player for the German War Machine!
The value of the two cannot be compared.
It's worth mentioning that although he hadn't yet signed with Nike or Adidas, Mark had been wearing Adidas PredatorLZ red and black cleats since his debut.
He bought these boots after signing his professional contract with the team and receiving his first salary.
And these boots had accompanied him for half a season.
The reason he chose these cleats initially was that they were very comfortable to wear and offered very smooth ball control.
For professional players, cleats are like their weapons on the battlefield; they must choose the right ones that fit their foot type.
From his first substitute appearance for the first team in the Bundesliga until the German Cup final, he wore these same boots.
It can be said that these cleats held great significance for him.
Of course, in addition to the comfort and sentimental value of the cleats, he also had to consider the brand's level of importance placed on him.
This time, the second round of offers from Nike and Adidas finally had some value worth listening to:
"Nike and Adidas have both offered you an annual sponsorship fee of 1.5 million Euros, plus a signing bonus of 200,000!"
After listening, Mark did not express his stance, but merely asked in return:
"What do you think of this price?"
"This is already very generous for a newly-minted international who hasn't even played for the national team yet!"
"You know, three years ago, when Götze, who had already played for the national team many times, signed with Nike, his sponsorship fee was also 1.5 million Euros per year!"
Although he didn't care much about money, it wasn't his primary consideration when choosing a brand.
However, who would complain about having too much money?
Compared to Messi and Ronaldo, who earn tens of millions of Euros a year, he still had a long way to go...
After a moment of contemplation, Mark suddenly asked:
"Mino, if I can lift the World Cup trophy with the German Team, will Nike and Adidas's price go up even further?"
"That's for sure!"
After a pause, Raiola, on the other end of the phone, immediately asked, "Are you so confident that Germany will win the World Cup?"
Facing Raiola's curiosity, Mark just smiled slightly:
"Am I a transmigrator who has seen the World Cup script, and I should tell you that too?!"
He thought this to himself, but then changed the subject: "By the way, how are the club negotiations going?"
"Still negotiating. They are reluctant to include a buyout clause in the contract. But I plan to drag it out as much as possible until after the World Cup before talking to them again."
"After all, if you can play in the World Cup, you will attract more top clubs, and they will also raise their contract offers to keep you!"
Hearing this, Mark immediately made a decision:
"Then let's postpone all negotiations!"
"The World Cup, which only happens every four years, is coming soon, and I don't want these off-field matters to affect me."
"Whether it's brand contracts or club contracts, let's wait until after the World Cup to continue negotiations!"
"As you wish!"
The days at the Merano training camp were very fulfilling.
It was secluded and beautiful, allowing them to focus on their preparations.
In this German War Machine squad, Löw only brought Klose as a true center forward.
However, this was not a problem at all.
Because as early as last year's World Cup qualifiers, the German Team had often adopted the "false nine" tactic.
Götze, Müller, and Özil had all played as the team's "false nine," and the team had successfully qualified for the World Cup finals ahead of schedule with this tactical approach.
Therefore, in daily training matches, Götze also frequently started as the false nine.
Mark, on the other hand, served as a substitute winger, sometimes playing on the left wing, sometimes on the right wing.
Clearly, Löw was slowly understanding his playing style and position during training.
On the third day after arriving in South Tyrol, the German National Team held its first press conference at the Merano training base.
And Mark also received news from Flick:
"What? I'm going to the press conference?"
"Not just you. You and Miro will attend the press conference as player representatives."
One was the oldest player in the team, and the other was the youngest.
The combination of old and young, with an eighteen-year age difference, was very newsworthy.
Flick did not tell Mark that this was the press officer's suggestion.
And for Mark, it was simply an honor.
How could I, a national team rookie, be worthy of attending a press conference with Klose, the national team's all-time leading scorer?!
That's too much respect!
...
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